Family Reunions for an Insomniac
by Leopardstorm
Summary: Remember at the end of Sunset? When Brambleclaw was 'hearing voices? Here's what those voices were telling him. R


**Remember at the end of Sunset, when Leafpool looked at Brambleclaw, who was listening to things no one else could hear? Well, what _did_ Brambleclaw hear?**

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**Signed,**

**Leo**

**Family Reunions for an Insomniac**

I did it. I killed my half-brother. I saved Firestar and the forest from certain destruction. I did it. But why don't I feel proud? Why don't I feel relieved to have saved the lake from mutinous peril?

"Because you have shown ultimate skill!" hissed Tigerstar into my brain. "You killed your brother so you could take power! Only my son could do that."

I was horrified. _I don't want to talk to you!_

"Don't talk now, my heir, I will meet you tonight, whether you like it or not," and with that, the voice went.

"Brambleclaw? Brambleclaw?" Squirrelflight was calling from the other side of the clearing. "Are you okay?"

"I…I'm fine," I murmured. "Let's go home. Firestar, can you walk?"

"I'm fine from now on, my deputy," he replied firmly. "Let's go home."

Leafpool guided her father back to the camp and I fell back into step behind Squirrelflight.

"I'm so proud of you, you know," she licked my shoulder. "You finally saw what your brother was."

"I guess it was…" I stopped myself. _Should Squirrelflight ever know about these secret meetings with my father? _I decided not to tell her – I didn't want our very delicate relationship to shatter again like last time. "I didn't see him enough to see his true potential." She licked my shoulder again and we entwined our tails. Life never felt so good.

-x-

"Firestar, you're back!" Ashfur called loudly around the clearing, Birchpaw following behind him. "I do hope the _traitor_ will get his punishment." He gave a dark stare to me before re-addressing his leader.

"The traitor _has _been punished – with death," Firestar croaked. "Brambleclaw killed Hawkfrost, who set the trap for me. You don't know why Hawkfrost was there, do you Ashfur?"

"Of course not, Firestar," he said a little too quickly. "It's just lucky we came in time."

"Indeed." Firestar looked emotionless as he walked towards the medicine den. "Everyone get back to your jobs, I'm fine!" he insisted, and everyone obeyed.

"Do you want to go on a walk?" Squirrelflight padded up to me. "We can have a good long talk."

"Okay, let me just organise the patrols. I –"

"I'll do that for you, Brambleclaw," Dustpelt got up and padded up to me. "You go on your walk."

"Thanks," I blinked my gratitude and follow Squirrelflight out of the camp.

"I love you, Brambleclaw," she mewed simply. "I love you every day, every night."

"I love you too," I mewed back, thankful that Stormfur and Brook weren't around – I didn't want them gossiping about my love life.

"Well, that's good," she laughed. "I wasn't expecting any sort of elaborate poetry from you."

"Good," I purred. "What did you wanna talk about?"

"Just life," she purred back. "I really just wanna spend the day with you. Tag, you're it!"

"Not for long!" I jumped after her as she climbed the nearest tree, bouncing nimbly from branch to branch like a bird. She was out pacing me, so I took a shortcut from another tree and jumped in front of her. "Now you're it!"

We played like this all day, just running after each other like this morning hadn't happened. We went on into the evening and then found a grassy patch to lie down.

"Let's sleep here tonight, Brambleclaw," she murmured.

"Yeah…" I replied as we curled up together. I had completely forgotten Tigerstar's ominous message as my eyelids closed and I fell asleep.

-x-

"Brambleclaw," the wind hissed my name, it whistled through the trees as my eyes opened once more. I was in the now familiar Dark Forest; I could see Tigerstar and Hawkfrost sat in the clearing ahead. What were they going to say?

"Ah, Brambleclaw," Tigerstar called. "Come and join us, we're just plotting the next way to bring down that petty kittypet."

"No," I found courage that I didn't know I had in my heart.

"Why not? It was very clever to stay with Squirrelflight and ensure that you are still trustworthy to her. Why do you want to give up all of this?" Tigerstar's teeth gleamed in the unnatural moon light. "You even killed your brother to get this far. A true son of mine."

"I am no son of yours," I bellowed back, keeping my distance. "I won't do it – I love Squirrelflight. I am loyal to Firestar – I got my deputy title through loyalty and courage, not fear and force. I will never be like you. You're just a bully – you don't deserve to be remembered. And now you will rot here for the rest of your life, never learn the error of your ways. And that has to be the worst thing about this place – you have no honour here. You have no conscience."

"You truly are worthy of succeeding me," he stood up. I looked at him blankly – _surely he wasn't repenting now!_ It didn't last long. "You stood up to me; you'll do truly anything for power."

"For StarClan's sake-"I was cut off when he leapt at me. Tigerstar pinned me down and placed an unsheathed paw at my throat.

"Never mention StarClan here," he hissed softly. "Otherwise you will be joining me here forever."

"I would rather die with dignity than as an evil tyrant," I growled back under the weight of Tigerstar's huge body. Tigerstar didn't reply – he just lunged again for my throat, but I managed to dodge out of the way just in time. We fought for many agonising heartbeats – I didn't know if I would wake up from this dream or not. Hawkfrost was looking on in dry vengeance. It would be an ultimate victory for him if he imprisoned me here.

Tigerstar was winning – the energy was spilling from my muscles quickly, whereas he had all the energy in the world. His hook-shaped claws were edging closer to my throat. I could feel life dribbling away from me, even without a wound on my body.

Suddenly, Tigerstar's great weight was thrown off of my tired body. I sat up to see Redtail and Lionheart fighting the great tyrant.

"Your memory should've stayed in the old forest," Lionheart growled as he cornered the tabby warrior.

"You'll never win, Tigerstar," Redtail, Tigerstar's first victim, added.

"Go," Lionheart hissed as he carried on fighting. "Bluestar and Spottedleaf are waiting for you at the edge of StarClan. I just ran, I didn't quite know where, just away from the fight. Eventually, I could see the mist clearing and the trees thinning out to see StarClan's hunting grounds.

"Brambleclaw, you made it safely," Bluestar sounded relief. "You made the right decision today, Brambleclaw. We'll make sure he won't contact you again."

"Thanks," was all I could say.

"Go back to Squirrelflight, before she starts asking you why you've been a fidget-fox all night." And with that I fell back into the real world and where Squirrelflight and I had made our bed.

"Finally, you're awake," she yawned. "I wondered if you were ever going to come out of hibernation. You were fidgeting all night. Rough dream?"

"Yeah, you could say that."

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**Signed,**

**Leo. **


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